Due to a mechanical problem, we were 90 minutes late leaving Melbourne and arriving in Singapore. Luckily, our onwards flight to Barcelona was one of only two that had still not departed (everyone else had to re-book for a flight later in the day). So we virtually walked off our plane at Gate 2 in Terminal 3 over to our next plane waiting at Gate 4. While this was the “perfect” connection, it didn’t give us time for anything except a quick “pit-stop” - no duty-free shopping this time around at our favourite airport. We just hoped that our bags made the transfer between planes in the very short time available. We’ll see.

We changed planes for the onward flight from an Airbus A380 to a Boeing 777, and the temperature on the new flight was decidedly cooler, especially when the person behind had their air-vent directed onto the back of my seat. So given that I already had a head-cold (from getting my hair cut a week before leaving Melbourne and putting up with a week of cold weather), I decided to continue wearing the beanie and scarf that I had worn to Melbourne Airport. I may have looked a bit silly on the plane, but at least it stopped my cold getting any worse - I am looking forward to the warm summer weather in Moissac. Our flight to Barcelona included a quick stop in Milan (this apparently only happens on Tuesday flights). But I was not too concerned since I had never stepped foot in Italy before. I figured that even just walking around in the terminal during our 90 minute stop would allow me to tick Italy off my bucket-list. Alas, as we arrived, there was an announcement that all passengers proceeding to Barcelona needed to stay on-board during the short stop-over. So I will have to find another opportunity to visit Italy.

Our flight to Barcelona was short and uneventful. Rita took advantage of the half-empty plane to swap seats to a window seat so that she could watch the Alps as we departed Milan. This view continue for quite a while as we flew south-west down the Mediterranean coastline. When we arrived in Barcelona there were several long queues for non-EU passport holders, and one very short queue for EU-passport holders - clearly there are not many locals using Barcelona as an international entry point. After we cleared passport control we proceeded to baggage belt 14 and were met immediately by our two bags - they were the first two that arrived without one second of delay. Even more amazingly, our two pan cases arrived as we walked to belt 14E, which contain all the special baggage items. This was a world record for us in retrieving bags. Perhaps because they were the last ones on board in Singapore, then they were the first off in Barcelona!

Rita and I then spent some time walking around the airport following the directions given to us by the coach company that will meet the band members in August. We sorted out a few confusing points and took a few photos and are now confident that we will find the coach easily (it was all clear in hindsight). We then took a taxi to Sants Railway station, to catch the TGV to Narbonne, and then the Intercity to Montauban. As before, Narbonne was cold and windy and the stairs leading up and down to the platforms were a real challenge with all the baggage. So we took it all down to the connecting walkway underneath and left it there (with one of us standing guard), until they announced which platform the train to Montauban was departing from. Unfortunately, they don’t do this until 20 minutes before departure, so it was a wait of more than an hour in the wind.

At 1830h we arrived at Montauban to be met by Nico and our trusty Renault Scenic. He then drove us to Moisaac where we had dinner with him, Miyu and Massa, at the house they are staying in for the next few months. Later in the evening we were joined by music teacher Veronique, who we will be collaborating with us on the band tour. At the end of a 40 hour trip, I was surprised that Rita and I stayed awake for dinner, but we did it with ease and it was good to see old friends.